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– Two weeks after he fired defensive coordinator Juan Castillo, Eagles coach Andy Reid decided not to replace Michael Vick at quarterback. He realized after pointing the two fingers, the other eight were pointing right back at him. OK, seven. I expect Reid to go after struggling cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha soon.

– NFL people, including Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, got some good belly laughs over South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier saying that Alabama could challenge bad NFL teams. Oddsmakers quickly installed Jacksonville (1-6) and Kansas City (1-7) as 24-point favorites over Alabama. “It’s not even close,” Carroll, the former USC coach, told reporters. The matchups on the offensive and defensive lines “would be tremendously shocking to a college team.”

– The NFC is 20-13 in games against the AFC, with an 868-677 scoring advantage in those games.

– The Cowboys have won the past three games they’ve played against teams that were at least 7-0 at the time, according to ESPNDallas.com. Tony Romo has two of those helmets on his wall, beating the 9-0 Colts in 2006 and the 13-0 Saints in 2009.

– San Jose State alum James Jones can credit his favorite motivational speaker – himself – for his breakthrough year for the Packers (401 yards, seven touchdowns). Jones yells at himself between snaps. “Focus! Stay focused!” he’ll say. “Even some of the DBs have asked me, ‘Man, what are you talking about?’ ” Jones, who has no drops this season, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

– Giants safeties Kenny Phillips (knee) and Antrel Rolle (concussion) are expected back, but that doesn’t mean Raiders castoff and NFC Defensive Player of the Week Stevie Brown has lost his luster. He had two interceptions last week and has five for the season. “My position has always been the more outstanding football players, the better,” coach Tom Coughlin told reporters. “We’ll find ways to involve all of them.”

AFC

– One of the big reasons for the early success of rookie quarterbacks Ryan Tannehill (Miami), Andrew Luck (Indianapolis) and Brandon Weeden (Cleveland) is their use of the no-huddle offense. They all used it in college. “When we get to the line quicker, we are able to assess the defense and get ourselves into a good play,” Tannehill told reporters.

– The Browns and Dolphins are first (tied) and third, respectively, in lowest average time of possession in scoring drives, at 3:05 and 3:13. The Raiders, with experienced Carson Palmer, are the other team tied for first.

– Bengals coach Marvin Lewis wants second-year quarterback Andy Dalton to “take hold of our football team” – and do it by yelling and getting mad more. “You have to be a little bit” tough on teammates, Lewis told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “But you do and that’s what these guys we’re talking about (Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger) have, and I think that’s part of it.”

– Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said he didn’t throw the no-huddle offense at Peyton Manning until Manning’s second year in the league.

– Bills defensive end Mario Williams returns to face his old Texans team Sunday and had a message for Houston fans. “I didn’t want to enter free agency in the first place, but it was a one-way door given to me by the GM to leave Houston,” Williams told Fox 26 Sports. The fans’ response? We’re 6-1, who cares?

– Ravens offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie said reports of him being sued for $375,000 in strip club bills are not true. “What strip club gives you a $375,000 tab?” he told the Baltimore Sun. “It just sounds stupid to me. I’ve never heard of this in my life.” Sources confirmed to The Chronicle that strip clubs do not often advance patrons $375,000 in lap dances and drinks.

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Vic Tafur started covering the Raiders in 2010. He has written a fantasy football, college football and college basketball column for the Chronicle, and covered the San Francisco 49ers and Golden State Warriors earlier in his career. Follow him on Twitter.